Dear Tulane Community:
The fall semester officially begins today. As our students like to say…let’s go!
The waning days of summer have rapidly accelerated into a flurry of events, orientations, and ceremonies for our new and returning students. Staff and faculty have had a chance to reconnect (or they will later this week!) over complimentary lunch with our new dining services provider, Aramark. Green Wave athletes and the Tulane University Marching Band have been hard at work practicing the plays and maneuvers that we’ll soon be cheering on at Yulman Stadium or Fogelman Arena. Future JDs, MBAs, MDs and PhDs have discovered the joy of a syrupy snowball on an impossibly hot day. Wave Leaders have shepherded our first-year students through a carefully curated schedule culminating in yesterday’s Convocation and Hullabaloo Hello Block Party.
And, yes — in the middle of all this activity, the President and First Lady of the United States visited our uptown campus.
What a week!
It was truly an honor to host President and Dr. Biden as they announced a massive new funding initiative through the Biden Cancer Moonshot project. This historic event happened to coincide with Fall Move-In, but our peerless Tulane team leapt into action to adapt and accommodate a presidential visit while still providing our students and families with a seamless and smooth arrival experience. I am grateful for the extra effort so many Tulanians put in to make this happen.
The Bidens announced an award of up to nearly $23 million to a Tulane research team co-led by Quincy Brown, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and Brian Summa, Associate Professor of Computer Science. They are developing a new imaging system that will allow surgeons to determine during surgery whether the cancer tissue has been completely removed, improving outcomes and reducing the need for additional surgeries. It’s a perfect example of the kind of groundbreaking research that we foster here at Tulane: innovative, interdisciplinary, and focused on finding solutions to the biggest challenges we face as a society. This momentous announcement garnered international attention for Tulane, with countless laudatory comments by scientists, media, and public officials about our successful research program.
This incredible recognition and support for our research enterprise comes on the heels of the Economic Impact Report, which revealed that Tulane has a $5.2 billion annual economic impact on the state of Louisiana — up from $3.14 billion in 2019. This reflects our momentum across every aspect of the university, including an explosion in research and academic programs. We are providing tangible benefits for our neighboring communities by creating jobs, supporting local businesses and improving health outcomes. As a vital economic engine for the region, we are fostering innovation and leveraging our expertise to transform lives for the better.
Here's to a semester of academic inspiration, collaborative innovation and Green Wave spirit. Thank you for being a part of it!
